Fort Myers, Florida – U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell has sentenced Kurtis Johnson (26, Punta Gorda) to eight years in federal prison for distributing child pornography. The Court also ordered him to forfeit his laptop and three external hard drives that had been used to commit the offense. Johnson pleaded guilty on November 5, 2015.

According to court documents, in October 2014, an FBI task force agent was able to download numerous images of child pornography from Johnson’s computer using a file sharing program. On October 30, 2014, a search warrant was executed at Johnson’s residence. During an interview with agents, Johnson admitted to downloading and possessing child pornography on his computer. Subsequent forensic analyses of the computer media seized from the home revealed more than 3,500 images, and over 800 videos depicting child pornography.

This case was investigated by the FBI Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes the Lee County Sheriff’s Office and the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Yolande G. Viacava.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.